Crushing it at Magnolia: From left, Elle Minor, of Sean Minor wines; Magnolia-owner Jack Sporer; and Ully Povoa and Eliot Kessel, winemaker and founder, respectively, of Wavey Wines.
Perhaps above all, Magnolia is rewriting the narrative on utilizing a custom crush. ”It’s a real boon to be able to make wine here,” Sporer proudly says. In certain wine circles, it’s common to blow over, hide or obscure the fact that you make your wine at a custom crush. The reasons for this vary. For some brands, they are hoping to conjure an impression of grandeur, of prestige vineyards, historic cellars and ownership, and the custom crush shatters that illusion. For others, there’s a stigma that winemakers utilizing custom crushes aren’t “real winemakers.” Whatever the case may be, Magnolia is defying conventional wisdom when it comes to custom crush. The community of natural winemakers that have coalesced at Magnolia and returned vintage after vintage to make their wines here are a tight knit group of passionate winemakers sharing resources, ideas, tips and support. Throughout the harvest season, the winery is abuzz with winemakers and friends elbow deep in grapes, sharing wine wisdom and laughs over long lunches. As Sporer says, Magnolia during harvest “[is] an inspiring place to be.” People are proud that they make wine at Magnolia. It’s a shared resource and watering hole for the small-but-mighty natural wine community of Sonoma. g
Please email comments to editor@NorthBaybiz.com
60 NorthBaybiz
April 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker